My Dear Grand Duke on a Leash - Chapter 107

Chapter 54.1 — Night Getaway (5)

Cain, standing where he was, locked eyes with a gentleman sitting on a bench at the platform, reading a newspaper.

The man, staring blankly at him with his mouth hanging open, was nudged in the side by another gentleman sitting next to him. Flustered, he quickly cleared his throat and turned his head.

They were Acheron’s retainers, whom Cain had sent ahead to the platform.

“Please tell me my eyes aren’t playing tricks on me, Lieutenant. Right now, His Highness the Grand Duke is…”

“He’s holding Princess Chalonné’s hand and cradling young Master Ian.”

“Oh my God. You can see it too, right? They’re holding hands. His Highness… with a woman, holding hands… Oh my God. Why are they looking at each other like that? Are they going to kiss? Just like any other young couple these days?!”

“Baron, please lower your voice.”

Although the lieutenant reprimanded him, he was just as stunned by the scene. The sight of their master, Princess Chalonné, and Young Master Ian seemed as if…

“They look like a happy family setting off on a train trip.”

A happy family? Could there be a word less fitting for the Acheron family than that?

Aside from Princess Thesil, the only woman he had ever acknowledged was a sixty-year-old nursemaid. Yet here he was, kidnapping Princess Chalonné. It was the kind of plot twist that would win first place in a ‘most unbelievable event’ contest. And what was worse…

“Lieutenant, did you hear? She called him ‘honey.’ The princess…!”

“I heard it. His Highness is quite pleased.”

Their master could never be such a kind man.

Cain’s cold blue eyes locked onto the baron’s suspicious gaze. The two retainers awkwardly cleared their throats and looked away in opposite directions.

Those cold, indifferent blue eyes were enough to send a shiver down one’s spine with just a single glance.

‘So it really is His Highness the Grand Duke…’

The first-class train attendant greeted Cain politely. After stepping back a few paces, the attendant took the luggage from the adjutants following behind.

Cain, having entered the train first, reached out and naturally guided Riette inside.

Only after the two of them had disappeared into the first-class cabin did the retainers let out a sigh of relief as if they had finally been able to breathe. The baron muttered with a troubled expression as he set the newspaper down on his lap.

“This… When we return to Katak, the young masters will lose their minds.”

The lieutenant seemed to agree, his uneasy gaze clearly visible.

̊ · : * ✧* : · ̊

“Wow. Is this the room?”

Riette, who had opened the door to the guestroom, gasped in awe.

The room was about twelve pyeong in size (roughly four hundred square feet). It featured a double bed, a nightstand that also served as a vanity, a small tea table with two chairs, and two built-in wardrobes next to the door. The door beside them led to a private bathroom.

Since the train was owned by Acheron, the interior leaned more toward the Helios style than Chalonné’s. The molding and chair armrests were coated in pure gold, while the seats and carpets were made of rich red velvet.

It was grand and opulent.

After receiving the luggage from the attendant, Cain handed him a tip along with a check. The attendant, a professional catering to the upper class, stepped back smoothly without showing the slightest surprise.

“The room may be small, so I apologize in advance, but I hope you can bear with it for a few days.”

“No, it’s fascinating and nice!”

After walking a few steps, they would reach the end of the room.

When was the last time she’d been in such a small space? She remembered sneaking into a closet to hide something. Was it when she was five?

‘What was I hiding back then? I think I was holding something soft and small in my arms…’

“Princess?”

At the sound of Cain’s voice, Riette snapped out of her thoughts and stepped into the room. He followed her in and gently laid Ian down on the bed. The boy must have been utterly exhausted, as he immediately fell into a deep sleep.

Riette sat on the edge of the bed and gazed at the child’s face.

“Ian must be a really deep sleeper. He slept so soundly last time, too.”

“Princess, aren’t you tired?”

“Mm, I’m okay for now. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep even if I lie down.”

It had been so long since she had stayed up all night like this. Riette took a quick look around the small double bed.

“So, the three of us are supposed to sleep here together, right? Grand Duke?”

It felt almost like something out of a bourgeois boarding school experience—sharing such a tiny bed with three people. It was strange.

‘…With the three of us sleeping in such a tight space, won’t Ian end up getting squished in the middle?’

Cain watched Riette, who was seriously pondering the situation. When she noticed his gaze, she turned to face him and tilted her head.

“What’s wrong, Grand Duke?”

“…It’s nothing.”

He abruptly averted his gaze, making Riette tilt her head the other way this time.

“…If you’re not able to sleep, would you like to have something to eat in the lounge? The next compartment is an exclusive lounge for the noble cabins.”

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